ARLINGTON, Texas — MacKenzie Gore will start Tuesday against the New York Mets, and Jacob deGrom will pitch one of the Texas Rangers’ final six games, president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday. Beyond those two, Texas will set its rotation by matchup and availability. Young gave the plan on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation after the club met on it that afternoon.
Texas lost Cal Quantrill to a right lat strain Saturday and placed him on the 15-day injured list Sunday. Gore has not pitched since muscle spasms in his back and shoulder cut short his Sept. 16 start against the Boston Red Sox.
“We met on it this afternoon, and I chuckled because really at this point it’s all hands on deck, and we’re going to sort of play it day by day,” Young said. “And so we do know MacKenzie Gore will start tomorrow. And then after that, we’re going to look at matchups. We’re going to see how the previous day went, who’s available and really piece this together. But I can assure you, Jacob deGrom will pitch one of those games, and MacKenzie will go tomorrow, and the rest of it, we will figure out.”
Gore is 8-11 with a 4.67 ERA and has 172 strikeouts in 165 2/3 innings, and his 32 starts are tied for the most in the majors. Over his last five starts, he has allowed 17 earned runs in 20 innings with 17 walks and 11 strikeouts. Left-hander Sean Manaea (5-7, 4.74 ERA) starts for New York, and first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
Jacob deGrom Pitching Through Groin Tightness
In Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, deGrom went 4 1/3 innings and allowed 5 hits and 3 earned runs, with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts. It was his second start since mild groin tightness ended his Sept. 10 outing at Seattle. On Sept. 15 against Boston, he allowed 2 runs over 5 innings and struck out 8 in a 4-2 win.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is 11-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 196 strikeouts. He has reached 200 strikeouts in four previous seasons. Young did not put a date on deGrom’s next start.
“Jacob will be fine,” Young explained. “Jacob’s a competitor, and my guess is that in Jacob’s next start, you’re going to see the A version of Jacob, especially if the game has significant impact in terms of our place in the standings. And Jacob will be just fine. I know he wants the ball, and I have no doubt he’s going to give us his best.”
Jordan Montgomery, Nathan Eovaldi And The Texas Rangers Bullpen
When Quantrill left Saturday, Jordan Montgomery took over and recorded the next 11 outs without allowing a hit in a 6-2 win. Young said Montgomery “stepped in and really picked us up and allowed us to win a game.” Nathan Eovaldi pitched the sixth inning that night on two days of rest.
Texas recalled right-hander Winston Santos from Triple-A Round Rock to take Quantrill’s roster spot. Jack Leiter, on the 60-day injured list after ankle surgery, threw his first bullpen session Sunday morning at Globe Life Field.
Through the first five games of the homestand, Rangers relievers posted a 1.84 ERA over 29 1/3 innings. Toronto then scored four runs off three relievers in the seventh inning Sunday.
Texas (78-78) leads the Houston Astros by one game in the American League West, and Houston holds the tiebreaker. The Rangers have not announced starters for Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. CT game or Thursday’s 1:35 p.m. CT series finale, when right-hander Nolan McLean pitches for the Mets. Texas plays at the Minnesota Twins from Sept. 25-27.
